Looking for a specific type of mp3 player. Any recommendations?
Jun 26, 2017 at 1:20 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 17
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Randall baker

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So long story short I listen to binural beats and need headphonesand mp3 player that doesnt alter the sound an any way.( treble boost, base boost and eq auto tuning) I found the proper headphones so now I need the mp3 player. Most mp3 player's I'm finding are the Chinese ipod knockoffs or the expensive hifi devices that aim to completely change the listening experience. I need an mp3 player that has a frequency responce of 15 and allows you to turn off any eq settings to get pure flat unaltered sound. Any recommendations?
 
Jun 26, 2017 at 1:25 AM Post #2 of 17
What headphones do you have?
Budget for mp3 player?
 
Jun 26, 2017 at 9:27 AM Post #6 of 17
Randall baker said:
Dont know why it posted twice lol, but if a specific frequency goes in and eq is turned off then I want that same frequency to reach my ear
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That's what they all do. Differences in sound has more to do with the filters, something you can't do away with in any device. It's more a question of how much they'll affect 20hz to 20,000hz, which in some cases has to do with whether it's in the audio program itself to begin with and then second is whether your headphones will begin distorting once playing anything lower than 100hz or higher than 10,000hz, ie whether the diaphragm can handle long or very fast excursions.

I wouldn't really worry about any of that. Just get any you can afford that won't distort when driving your headphone.
 
Jun 26, 2017 at 12:28 PM Post #8 of 17
Randall baker said:
So long story short I listen to binural beats and need headphonesand mp3 player that doesnt alter the sound an any way.( treble boost, base boost and eq auto tuning) I found the proper headphones so now I need the mp3 player. Most mp3 player's I'm finding are the Chinese ipod knockoffs or the expensive hifi devices that aim to completely change the listening experience. I need an mp3 player that has a frequency responce of 15 and allows you to turn off any eq settings to get pure flat unaltered sound. Any recommendations?
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Not sure where you're getting these impressions.

Sound reproduction is always going to be flawed. A speaker, whether in a headphone or a cabinet, is never going to be able to reproduce the original sound exactly. Never.

So, what you want to look for is a FLAT sound signature. That means no specific emphasis on any frequency. And while no headphone is perfectly flat, some come much closer than others. The Sennheiser 600 for example.

Long story short, the perfect headphone you seek doesn't exist. Re-evaluating your requirements may be in order. Listening to binaural beats for meditation etc. doesn't require the kind of extreme technical perfection you're looking for. Any mid-level headphone will work great for that.
 
Jun 26, 2017 at 12:36 PM Post #9 of 17
Surf Monkey said:
Not sure where you're getting these impressions.

Sound reproduction is always going to be flawed. A speaker, whether in a headphone or a cabinet, is never going to be able to reproduce the original sound exactly. Never.

So, what you want to look for is a FLAT sound signature. That means no specific emphasis on any frequency. And while no headphone is perfectly flat, some come much closer than others. The Sennheiser 600 for example.

Long story short, the perfect headphone you seek doesn't exist. Re-evaluating your requirements may be in order. Listening to binaural beats for meditation etc. doesn't require the kind of extreme technical perfection you're looking for. Any mid-level headphone will work great for that.
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Ive all ready got a nice pair of sony studio monitors I just need an mp3 that doesnt change the sound quality. Everywhere I look I find Chinese ipod knockoffs or these extremely expensive portable hifi players.
 
Jun 26, 2017 at 12:57 PM Post #10 of 17
Randall baker said:
Most mp3 player's I'm finding are the Chinese ipod knockoffs or the expensive hifi devices that aim to completely change the listening experience.
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That isn't true at all ("aim to completely change the listening experience"). Most aim for neutral response, and effects like bass boost, eq, etc are settings that the user can turn on and off. Which players have you actually looked at? Go to a Best Buy or other store and try them out.

If you have a smartphone, just use that. Binaural beats is very undemanding to reproduce, compared to many types of music.
 
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Jun 26, 2017 at 6:09 PM Post #11 of 17
Randall baker said:
Ive all ready got a nice pair of sony studio monitors I just need an mp3 that doesnt change the sound quality. Everywhere I look I find Chinese ipod knockoffs or these extremely expensive portable hifi players.
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I don't think that's an accurate statement. The vast majority of players try to reproduce the recording as accurately as possible. As with speakers no player hardware is capable of reproducing the sound exactly as it was recorded, but the deficiencies of recording and playback systems are not so pronounced as to ruin one's listening experience unless the equipment is VERY cheap and poorly made.

Be aware that on a site like this one, the level of scrutiny is FAR beyond the norm. When we talk about vast differences between hardware sources and headphones these differences are often actually quite subtle and in some cases purely subjective. So take all of it with a grain of salt and let your own ears be your guide. Seeking 99% perfection in a technological field that lives in the gray area of personal perseption is simply unrealistic.

All of that said, I'm sure you can get some great recommendations for players here. We know what you want it for and that you want it to be as flat as possible. Post your price range and let's see what others suggest...
 
Jun 26, 2017 at 6:14 PM Post #12 of 17
Surf Monkey said:
I don't think that's an accurate statement. The vast majority of players try to reproduce the recording as accurately as possible. As with speakers no player hardware is capable of reproducing the sound exactly as it was recorded, but the deficiencies of recording and playback systems are not so pronounced as to ruin one's listening experience unless the equipment is VERY cheap and poorly made.

Be aware that on a site like this one, the level of scrutiny is FAR beyond the norm. When we talk about vast differences between hardware sources and headphones these differences are often actually quite subtle and in some cases purely subjective. So take all of it with a grain of salt and let your own ears be your guide. Seeking 99% perfection in a technological field that lives in the gray area of personal perseption is simply unrealistic.

All of that said, I'm sure you can get some great recommendations for players here. We know what you want it for and that you want it to be as flat as possible. Post your price range and let's see what others suggest...
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I dont have a price range :) I just want the sound to come out as flat as physically possible and have a good build quality.
 
Jun 26, 2017 at 7:25 PM Post #15 of 17
Randall baker said:
Okay 1 whats the frequency range? Needs to be 20 or lower
2 does it have any kind of on board chip to alter the sound anyway?
3 does it have eq settings I can turn off to just get boring low quality accurate sound?
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My suggestion is to buy the Xduoo X3 music player and install the Rockbox firmware, fairly low cost investment into a decent DAP (Digital Audio Player).
Then maybe(?) invest into headphones that are better then the Sony MDR-7506 studio monitors.
 
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